Daniel Cranmer, of the Kwakwaka'wakw First Nation, from left, Andy Everson, of the Comox First Nation, and B.C. Premier Christy Clark listen during an announcement regarding protecting British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest, at the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, Canada, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP/Thinkstock)

British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest has been largely protected from logging in a landmark agreement. It's a deal among aboriginals, forest companies, environmental groups and the government.

Premier Christy Clark of British Columbia announced the agreement. The land-sharing deal, 20 years in the making, will protect 85 percent of the world's largest intact temperate rainforest. The land is located about 435 miles northwest of Vancouver.

The Great Bear Rainforest, stretching from the Discovery Islands northwards to Alaska, is 16 million acres. More than half the region is covered by ancient forests. The agreement ensures 7.7 million acres of the forests are permanently off limits to logging.

Environmentalist Richard Brooks said 95 percent of the area was open to logging 20 years ago. But protests, blockades and ensuing negotiations resulted in the new agreement that ensures most of the forests will not be logged.

Twenty-six aboriginal tribes, environmental groups, coastal forest companies and the government reached the agreement. It is the territory of 26 aboriginal tribes.

Coast Forest Products Association chief executive officer Rick Jeffery said the deal involved complex talks between groups with opposing points of view, but compromise and success was achieved over time.

"It's unprecedented in the history of our province," said Jeffery. "It's a unique solution for a unique area."

The agreement also ends the commercial grizzly bear hunt and protects habitat for the marbled murrelet, northern goshawk and mountain goat.

The area was officially named the Great Bear Rainforest by then-premier Gordon Campbell in 2006. Environmentalists had given the area the name years before that in an effort to protect the central coast from logging.

Because people will still destroy the forests without permission to stop.

reidi-4-bar

2/11/2016 - 06:06 p.m.

British Columbia's Great Bear rain forest has been largely protected from logging because of a landmark agreement. Its a deal among forest companies, environmental groups and the Government. It will protect 85% of the worlds largest intact temperate rain forest. I think it is very cool that there are some rain forests that will be protected from tracktors and machines. I think that to much of our environment is being destroyed by humans.

wschl-wim4

2/12/2016 - 12:42 p.m.

Why 7.7? I think it should be at least half of the total acres. There should definitely be more forest protected.

lblac-wim4

2/12/2016 - 12:45 p.m.

I think that a protection for bears is an interesting idea. Not only are you helping bears but also increasing culture and helping the environment. I also think that the benefits from this protection will not only help the environment but also the way we can learn from the environment.

bmccu-wim4

2/12/2016 - 12:47 p.m.

Compromises are required because people would cut the rainforest for their own thinking. If people didn't have compromises then there would be no more trees or habitats for the animals would live in. Then without their habitats, animals would go extinct.

brens-wim4

2/12/2016 - 12:49 p.m.

Compromises were made so people would not continue to cut down, and destroy the forests.

azane-wim4

2/12/2016 - 12:58 p.m.

I'm glad people came to their senses to stop being cruel and cutting down the rainforest. Without that forest we wouldn't have the beautiful forest anymore. The bears and other animals also live there so we would be causing more homes to be destroyed.

averyd-ver

2/16/2016 - 01:19 p.m.

The compromises were required because there were disputes between the tribes and loggers. Its because the loggers were cutting down the trees where the tribes were living.

ryanh-ver

2/19/2016 - 08:15 p.m.

Will they protect more natural areas like this from loggers or anyone else?